Liverpool have been linked with a number of central defenders over the last couple of months, including Modibo Diakite, Ashley Williams and Mehdi Benatia, and most recently, Sevilla centre-back Federico Fazio. Reds coach Brendan Rodgers is reportedly monitoring the 25-year old, and it looks like he is up for a move to the Premier League.

Fazio has been linked with Liverpool several times over the last month, and in an interview this week, the Argentine international - who is nicknamed 'El Flaco' by Sevilla's fans - confirmed that he turned down a move to Zenit St Petersburg during the January transfer window, and made it clear that a move to Russia is off the agenda. He told Seville-based newspaper Estadio Deportivo:

"I would have gone [to Zenit] if the conditions of the offer have convinced me, but the truth is that things did not happen, so I decided to stay here. I want to play in the [English] Premier League, or in Germany or Italy. "

Sevilla are suffering major financial problems at the moment, and many of their players may be for sale as a result, including Fazio, who is apparently a 'long-term' Liverpool target.

In December, Sevilla president Jose Del Nido stated that the club would sell players to help balance a €15m loss, but in another interview in January, he seemed to contradict himself with a load of mixed message. He told Reporters:

“It is not mandatory to sell players. There have been offers for seven players in our first team. The seven have been rejected. Only if an off-market offer comes in for any player will they be sold today, tomorrow or the day after. There is no need to sell, but that does not mean that we won’t sell.”

Bundesliga clubs Hamburg and Hoffenheim are also interested in signing £5m(€6m)-rated Fazio, but the Argentinian reportedly favours a move to Liverpool.

Fazio won the World Cup with Argentina U20 side in 2007, and followed that up in 2008 with an Olympic gold medal, as part of a team that included Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

With the shambolic performance of Liverpool's defenders this season, new blood is definitely required. Is Fazio a viable option?

Fazio is not at all an upgrade to Skrtel or Coates. I have seen this guy play a no. of times and he is a disaster waiting to happen. More Error prone than any of our current defenders. I would rather keep the cash and shift one of Kelly and Wisdom to CB.

id really like Kelly when fit to play at centre back along side an experienced tough tackling intelligent centre back !!how I wish we could have convinced cahill to join, he could of been starting every game and we could be a lot better off (for starters)what bout shawcross hes quite dominant, we need at least one with prem experience which in theory should slot straight in.maybe carroll could be converted to a centre back ?? lol

True that, Kelly doesnt seem to have the body to be sprinting up and down the wing all day but is IMO one of the best defenders in one on one situations and would would take to CB like a duck to water and as you stated no extra cost